


Lost and Found

by Inquisikat



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Apologies, F/F, The Breach (Dragon Age), The Fade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 04:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6270376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inquisikat/pseuds/Inquisikat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merrill gathers a party to physically enter the Fade once more. While they traverse the deadly rock formations and plains, questions are asked and answers are received. Unfortunately, those answers only force more questions to come forth. The real question is, will the party be able to save Hawke?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LogicLoup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LogicLoup/gifts).



> Also, as a side note, I haven't written anything like this in a long time. I hope it's not too confusing. I... uh... I also don't know html very well, and I don't know if I can indent? Hopefully it either works, or it can be figured out. Enjoy, please.

“Merrill, Hawke’s been through a lot - and there’s still a good chance she’s out there. Try to have faith, alright?” Aveline was always good at calming Merrill down. Unfortunately, however, this time, she was dead wrong. The Fade is vast and complicated, and the chances of finding Hawke were slim. Even if the endeavor proved successful, they would be searching for a very long time.  
Even so, Merrill appreciates the thought. “Thank you, Aveline,” she responds solemnly, voice cracking with grief and worry. Screams of despair sound in the distance, a spirit taunting the group. This place is full of them - every two steps it’s another danger. One after another… There really is no end to it.  
Alright. This is it. Merrill lets out a deep sigh, thinking about everything that led up to this point. She remembers, she begged Hawke not to go, to just stay with her and help the refugees in Kirkwall. But no. Hawke made the choice to go off and help the Inquisition, and look where it got her. Physically stuck in the Fade! How does that even happen? Merrill has spent the last couple weeks tying things together, gathering a group willing to fling themselves into the treacherous realm. Hawke has many friends, but very few are fond of traversing the green wasteland. Ultimately, Aveline, the Inquisitor, and Varric have accompanied Merrill in the final rescue attempt. The Inquisitor was interesting, Merrill would give her that much. But it bothered her - Cadash was the person who made the choice to leave her love in the Fade to begin with.  
Unable to hold her curiosity back any longer, she inquires, “Miss Cadash, may I ask you a question?” Merrill closes her eyes, setting the end of her staff in the ground and turning to face the dwarf.  
“I believe you just did!” Cadash replies joyfully, “Any other burning questions?”  
“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have said anything.” A slight note of sarcasm lingers in Merrill’s voice, and much to her dismay Varric decides to chip in.  
“Daisy, calm down. She’s just trying to lighten things up a little bit, you know?” Typical Varric, of course. His intentions are always good - but sometimes he does butt in when he probably shouldn’t.  
Nevertheless, Merrill sighs, and continues talking, “Alright, fine, I’m sorry. I was wondering though, why did you have Hawke stay here? Why didn’t you have Alistair stay here instead? Isn’t it a Grey Warden’s duty to sacrifice their lives for the good of the people? Or have I been mistaken?” This was a question that has come to Merrill’s mind quite frequently the past few days. After meeting the Inquisitor, she just always seemed so… Happy. Even though the world was crumbling around her, that dwarf still managed to keep a smile on her face. Merrill used to be like that - but now, it’s hard to say what’s what anymore.  
Cadash’s face tightened up, making it obvious the pain she was in. “I… I’m not sure if I can give you the answer you want to hear.”  
“Please, I don’t care anymore.”  
“If you insist,” Cadash sighed, pushing a copper curl of hair behind her ear, “I had to make a quick decision. Honestly, I didn’t know either Hawke or Alistair all that well. Of course, I know the Grey Wardens are all about sacrifice. But I had to look at what it would do to the world. The lasting impact, you get what I’m saying?”  
Merrill didn’t like where this was going. But all the same, she sat down on a Fade rock, resting her staff against her knee.  
“Well… Alistair’s a Grey Warden. His Order is pretty much in shambles, and they really need a leader right about now. Like it or not, we need Wardens. They are the one hope we have against the Blight. There’s no doubt about that. And Hawke. She’s somewhat of a hero. If not that, she’s infamous. Look at what she helped ignite! I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but some feel that way. But many still love her. And if she were to be sacrificed to the Fade, the very thing that threatens us all, then maybe people would take it more seriously. Then maybe people will see that the Breach can consume the best of us. Then maybe they will want to fight a little harder to see this through - to see peace restored to Thedas. Really, I tried to do the right thing. I’m sorry if I made the wrong choice.” Deep down, Cadash knew that she had made the selfish choice. The Wardens would have worked it out, right? Or… No. What’s done is done. She can feel as guilty as she wants, but nothing can change her actions.  
Merrill did nothing but listen, and look softly into Cadash’s eyes. She considered what the Inquisitor had said, and perhaps there was some truth behind it. Quietly, Merrill responds, “So what you’re saying, is that you didn’t make an ethical decision, but a… What? One that had the most potential?”  
“Yes. I’m sorry.”  
“There’s no use in saying that now. What matters is that we’re here now, and we’re going to find her. Creators, we better find her…” Merrill turns her gave to the ground, pushing herself up with her staff. Tears threaten to roll down her face, but she pushes them back, refusing to succumb to her own emotions. Now is not the time for delay. “Come on, let’s go. Please.” There is a certain desperation laced in the elf’s voice, the clawing sorrow of someone who has lost everyone and everything, and does not have room to let go of any more.  
More and more walking, that’s their reward. Each step Merrill takes, it feels like a thousand pounds are being dropped on her shoulders. It seems as if they’ve been traveling for days on end, when in reality it had been just a few hours.  
“Hold on, wait -” Varric whispered, almost inaudibly. He pulled Bianca from her sheath, and clicked the safety off. He pointed ahead, slightly to the left, and signaled for everyone to stay where they were. The rogue crept slowly forward, the only noise being the occasional whine or moan from a spirit. The rest of the party took a good few steps back, attempting to conceal themselves behind rock formations and large, random doors lying about.  
The group waited there for several minutes, before they heard a scream, and then a terrible noise that could have only come from a demon. Everyone jumped into action, readying themselves for whatever was to come. Not moments later, Varric came sprinting back, a horde of demons on his tail.  
“Varric!” Merrill screamed, calling forth waves of electricity, forming a wall between them and the demons. The demons moaned at the opposition, banging at the tendrils of electric fire. Aveline moved straight on, giving a signal for Varric and Cadash to flank the demons. The wall of lighting wore off, and the demons charged in head on, thrashing and biting with a tremendous amount of force. Being in the fade, Merrill was able to access an almost unlimited amount of magic. It was taxing, but for Hawke, she would do anything. She fired bolt after bolt of lighting, paralyzing the demons that attempted to overwhelm Aveline. Cadash and Varric attacked from the sides, assassinating the entities one by one.  
But something went wrong - a demon struck Aveline from the side, slicing her arm down to the bone.  
“Ah!” Aveline clutched her sword arm and held up her shield to defend herself. Her arm hung loosely at her side, sword clattering to the ground. Blood gushed from the wound, but still, the warrior in her persevered, and she remained on the battlefield, bashing the remainder of the demons with her shield.  
Merrill rushed up to relieve Aveline of the assault of demons, but she refused to move. And so, Merrill stayed at Aveline’s side, ending the lives of all who dared attempt to end her life.  
Cadash finished off the last one with a sweep of her dagger. She then turned to face Aveline, who had become pale in the face from blood loss. “Merrill, you’re the magic person here. What do we do?”  
Oh, wonderful. She knew this was going to happen. “Well, I… I really don’t do healing magic. Creators, where’s Anders when you need him?” Aveline gave Merrill a look of pure fear, and it was then that she knew she had to do something. Blood was just pouring out of Aveline, and it wasn’t going to be much longer before she passed out. “Aveline, come here. I’ll do my best.” She took Aveline’s arm gently in her hands, going over the wound with her hands, slowly. She summoned a small amount of fire magic and burned the wound to cauterize it. She then ripped a piece of fabric off of her robes, and tied it tightly around the deep claw marks that were etched into her skin.  
“At least it’s not bleeding anymore. Thank you, Merrill.” Aveline’s face was twisted in pain, more than likely due to her arm being burned.  
“Ah, no need, just… Take it easy from here on out. Until we can get you a healer.”  
And with that, out of the abyss, sounded a cry: “Is someone there?”  
The voice sounded out loud, clearly, but it was cracked, pained. It was familiar, like a friend, warm-sounding, but desperate, longing. Merrill knew immediately who it was.  
“Hawke!” She abandoned the group, and ran towards the voice. “Where are you?”  
The rest of her companions trailed behind her, trying to keep up. Hawke’s voice did not sound again, but they had gotten the general direction of it.  
“Hawke! Hang in there!” Varric yelled, sprinting as fast as his little legs would carry him. Cadash ran in a similar fashion, a look of concern on her face. Aveline did not seem to be able to keep up, and so she slowed and eventually stopped, coming to rest at a large group of rocks.  
“Is that…? No…” Hawke’s voice was there, again, this time much quieter. She seemed in disbelief. It didn’t surprise Merrill… In fact, she wondered what kinds of things the demons had done to her. Hawke was no mage, and could perhaps fall prey to the temptations of a spirit without realizing what she was doing.  
Her last words had been the final indication of her location, and the group ran to where she was.  
Hawke came into view, lying in a crumpled mess on the ground. Merrill stopped dead in her tracks, overcome with a thousand emotions. Hawke’s hair was matted, blood streaked across her face. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her leg was jolted at an odd angle. Broken. Merrill felt dismay, terror, that her Hawke had come to such misfortune, but she was also glad, overjoyed that she was still alive.  
“Who are you? Just another demon to torment me?” Tears rolled down Hawke’s cheeks, and she began to sob. She rolled on her back and placed her face in her hands, in an attempt to block out what she thought was a vision of Merrill.  
“Hawke, no… It’s me. I swear. Here.” Merrill slowly approached Hawke, and placed her hand on her shoulder. She tensed up at this, and started shaking out of fear. “Drink.” Merrill commanded, firmly, prying Hawke’s hands away from her face and forcing a canteen of water into her hands.  
Hawke gave her a look of mistrust - “Demon, there’s nothing more you can do to me. At this point, I hope you have given me poison.” And with that, she drank deeply, then looked at the canteen with shock when it did not disappear. “It’s real?” She remarked in disbelief, “It’s actually real? Then, does that mean…” She looked up at Merrill, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “Merrill?”  
Varric and Cadash stayed back for the moment, and by now Aveline had caught up. She looked a little more well put together after her brief rest.  
“Yes, it’s me. Oh, thank the Creators you’re alive…” Merrill bent down and planted a small kiss on Hawke’s forehead, then slowly lifted her to make her sit up.  
“There were demons keeping me prisoner. What happened to them?” Hawke’s voice was still weak, but after the water it was a little clearer.  
“I think those were the ones we killed. It’s all over now.” She was beyond grateful to see her in one piece. Words could not express the amount of relief she was feeling at that moment.  
“Everyone good? Awesome. Honestly, this place is starting to give me the creeps. Good to have you back, Hawke.” Varric turned and walked out of the small clearing, Cadash and Aveline following him. His reaction may seem underwhelming for the moment, but truly, he had a lot planned for when Hawke got back home. There was definitely a celebration to be had. Three weeks alone in the Fade? That takes some skill.  
With gentle hands, Merrill supported Hawke as she stood on her one good leg. And with a smile, she said softly, “Come on, Hawke. Let’s get you out of here.”


End file.
